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Toshiba Portege Z930 review

Is the Z930 cream of the next-gen Ultrabook crop? Or is this skinny slice of Tosh tech too insubstantial to impress?

S$1,599

04 July 2013/11:24SGT

Strip an Ultrabook down to the basics and it's really just a very thin laptop. In which case Toshiba's new Z930 may well be the ultimate example of the form: it weighs in at 1.12kg and tapers down to a barely-there 8.3mm.

That means it has the same dimensions as its predecessor, the flawed Z830, but otherwise it has had a much-needed overhaul over its 3-star sibling.

Ultrabook hero?

The trackpad has lost its metal bezel and fingerprint reader, so it feels more pleasant to use, it's now proudly sporting an Ivy Bridge processor and upgraded internal graphics, and its screen is one of the best in its class.

The Z930 has a matte rather than glossy screen - so you won't suffer awkward reflections if you're using it outdoors or under bright office lights.

software

It's a bit of a shame that, as with rivals from the likes of Sony, the Tosh comes with a ridiculous amount of software preinstalled. Some of it quite useful, like the power monitor that will feed back exactly how many Watts you're using at any one time, but most of it is just wasting space.

looks the business

All those 'utilities' reinforce a suspicion that if it weren't for the almost improbably dimensions, the all-grey mag alloy and plastic Toshiba would be danger of feeling a littler corporate. As it is, however, that design keeps it in the fun zone. If you don't mind pruning some software, it's comfortably the machine to own.

ports and in use

Most of the ports are round the back in order to keep the size down, though Tosh has kindly put a single USB on the side for ease of access while you're working. More would be nice.

The keyboard is solid and well supported given the Z930's lack of girth, but the button design makes the keyboard strangely thin, while the space bar is unresponsive. You'll get used to it though.

Verdict

At just 16mm thick, this 1.12kg, Ivy Bridge Core i5 Ultrabook is so thin you’ll have to watch you don’t cut yourself. A 128GB SSD (admittedly stuffed full of bloatware) and a glare-free matte screen are handy, while 6GB of RAM and a 6-hour-ish battery tickle us too.

Stuff says...

Toshiba Portege Z930 review

The Toshiba is so thin it's hardly there, but little is sacrificed to achieve such a small size